If you’re craving something chocolaty in the afternoon at tea time, this is the tea for you. I don’t mean chocolaty like a candy bar, either; I mean chocolaty like baker’s cocoa. It’s definitely not for the “beginner” tea drinker, in my opinion.
Made from the shells of the cacao bean and mixed with cocoa nibs, this tea has a very soothing aroma once brewed but the flavor…WOW. Imagine just dabbing your pinky finger into the tub of baking cocoa and licking it. Bitter, right?
The flavor of this tea does not match the aroma in the least, but it is an AMAZING sip. Although it does not contain caffeine, it does have some naturally occuring mood boosters and antioxidants that just might give you the push you need to get through the rest of the work day.
I always give my new teas the opportunity to impress without adding any sweetener or milk/cream. While this cuppa had an impressive flavor on it’s own, I enjoyed it much more with the smallest drop of agave and about a teaspoon of cream which smoothed out the bitterness just enough. If you like tonic water or a dry, “oaky” red wine or other bitter flavors, you will probably enjoy this tea.
I followed the recommended brewing instructions, using 2 teaspoons and steeping for 8 minutes. It probably would have been just slightly less bitter if I had gone with the lower amount of 1 teaspoon or only steeped for 6 minutes but, I’m afraid it would have been too bland.
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Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: MiCacao
Description
Our tea comes from small family-owned farms in Ecuador, known for their famous “Arriba Nacional” cacao trees. These small farms grow, harvest, and prepare the cacao at their own micro-wet mills where they naturally ferment the beans using banana leaves. The beans are then left to dry on elevated tables, using solar dryers in order to protect against the rain. We use the shells of these beans as the base for our cacao tea. It’s completely natural and without any artificial preservatives, flavors, or starches. Organic. Sugar-free. Gluten-Free. Vegan.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Capri/August Uncommon
I have had Capri by August Uncommon once before. The tea, made with turkish apple, rosehip shells, peppermint, thai pineapple, melon pieces, pear pieces, and flavoring, seemed like the perfect tea to be iced. However, I found myself disappointed by the iced tea. It was vaguely sweet and mostly mint. So today I decided to try it hot.
The mint acts more as a foundation in the hot tea. It is definitely there but mostly as a cooling freshness at the base of the tea. There is a melon flavor on top of the mint but it is so subtle. You really have to look for it. It’s just the faintest bit of sweet atop the mint. Unfortunately I am still disappointed. I want more melon, less mint, and really anything else. Pineapple would be nice or some pear.
Honeydew is a subtle flavor naturally so a honeydew flavor in tea is hard to capture. For me, this was a bit of a miss. It’s a nice mint tisane but it just fell short of what the ingredients might suggest you’re getting.
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Leaf Type: Tisane
Where to Buy: August Uncommon
Description
Have you had the pleasure of drinking fruit tea? Throughout Europe, teas made of dried fruit are well loved yet have been missing from American tea culture until now. Capri is a flavorful, cooling blend of fruits and peppermint, with a rich honeydew melon flavor. When it’s iced, it’s the perfect beverage for a hot day. Hot, it’s excellent after dinner or to wind down the day.
INGREDIENTS: turkish apple, rosehip shells, peppermint, thai pineapple, melon pieces, pear pieces, flavoring
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Tangy Orange Carrot/Steeped Tea. . . . .
Tangy Orange Carrot from Steeped Tea isn’t really a tea, per say, but a tisane…one could even call it a ‘veggie tea’, however, there aren’t any actually tea leaves in this one, folks!
What it DOES have is: Carrot bits*, Apple bits*, Sea Buckthorn peel*, Ginger*, Turmeric root*, Orange wedges*, Pumpkin bits*, Anise*, Natural flavors*. *Organic.
I have had this one HOT which was pretty good, but I prefer it cold or ICED, instead.
When infusing I used about a teaspoon or two of the loose tisane ingredients and let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes. If cold brewing you can do that overnight, as well.
As for the flavor, the carrot, orange, apple, and ginger blend nicely. The pumpkin and spices are an afterthought but I’m glad they aren’t overdone, too.
This is a nice tisane COLD in late summer or WARM for fall. So, basically, a win…win!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Fruit Tisane
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description
This tea looks to be no longer available but click below for blends that are.
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Skin Deep/Urbal Tea
It’s rare that I start of a review with the focus being on the ingredients but it’s a MUST with this offering from Urbal Tea named Skin Deep.
Skin Deep from Urbal Tea contains a slew of ingredients but they are carefully and thoughtfully mixed with care and include Calendula, Burdock Root, Red Clover blossoms, Oatstraw, Milk Thistle, Dandelion Root, Rosehip, Sarsaparilla Root, Oregon Grape Root, Yellowdock, Chaste Berry, Fig Wort, Cleavers, Licorice Root, Dried Cherries, Cinnamon, Dried Coconut, Chickweed, and Natural Flavors.
You may have heard of some of these before but I would like to highlight a few of the ingredients we don’t tend to see a lot of here at SororiTea Sisters such as Oatstraw, Oregon Grape Root, Yellowdock, Chaste Berry, Fig Wort, and Cleavers.
Cleavers are known for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as Urinary Infection, Water retention, Oedema, Cystitis, Swollen Glands, Tonsilitis, Ulcers, Lumps, Tumours, Eczema, Psoriasis, Boils, Abscesses, Skin irritations, Wounds and Burns. It’s also a friend of the kidneys and liver. Of course, we aren’t making any claims here…just sharing information we have found in our tea and tisane loving journeys in the wonderful world of herbs!
WebMD says that Yellowdock is used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of nasal passages and the respiratory tract, and as a laxative and tonic. It is also used to treat bacterial infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Yellow dock is also sometimes used to treat intestinal infections, fungal infections, and for arthritis.
As for Chaste Berry, Healthline says, It’s most commonly used against premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstrual disorders, infertility, acne, menopause and nursing difficulties. It’s also touted as protection against insect bites and certain types of cancer and claimed to offer a variety of other health effects. However, not all benefits are backed by science.
Figwort is a natural alternative to a ‘water pill’ and the herb is sometimes applied directly to the skin for skin conditions such as eczema, itching, psoriasis, hemorrhoids, swelling, and rash.
So you can see that this blend of herbs in this herbal tisane is jam-packed with skin-friendly ingredients!
As for the taste – I was pleasantly surprised. With the additional of rosehips, coconut shreds, and cherry this really went above and beyond in superfoods and herbs and overall flavor. It’s just enough sweetness to enjoy both hot or cold.
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Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Urbal Tea
Description
A unique blend of cherry, cinnamon, coconut, and other herbs and roots to help combat skin issues from the inside out.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Organic Egoma Tea (Perilla Leaf)/Yumoni. . .
I’ll be upfront about this…I sat on this herbal tisane for quite some time before giving it a sip!
The herbal tea I’m referring to is the currently sold out Organic Egoma Tea (also known as Perilla Leaf) on the Yunomi’s website. Egoma is a kind of perilla leaf, related to the shiso perilla leaf commonly served with sashimi (raw fish cuts) at sushi restaurants. Because I follow a vegan diet I do not eat raw fish nor did I have much knowledge about this connection because of it.
What I did find out – thru my own personal research – is that Perilla is an annual plant native to Southeast Asia and Indian highlands, and grown in the Korean peninsula, Southern China and India.
Thanks to Wiki…I found out it’s an annual plant growing 60–90 centimeters (or 24–35 in) tall, with hairy square stalks with the leaves being 7–12 centimeters (2.8–4.7 in) long and 5–8 centimeters (2.0–3.1 in) wide, with a broad oval shape, pointy ends, serrated (saw-toothed) margins, and long leafstalks. The leaves are green with occasional touches of purple on the underside.
The flowers of the plant bloom on racemes at the end of branches and the main stalk in August and September. The calyx, 3–4 millimeters (0.12–0.16 in) long, consist of upper three sepals and the hairy lower two. The corolla is 4–5 millimeters (0.16–0.20 in) long with its lower lip longer than the upper. Two of the four stamens are long.
The research I found went on to describe the fruit, too, but because this tisane uses only the herb of the plant I will end my description there.
Because I’m always intrigued by what plants have to offer to the human body I then found out about the potential benefits. Perilla seeds are rich in dietary fiber and dietary minerals such as calcium, iron, niacin, protein, and thiamine – as well as – dietary fiber and dietary minerals, such as calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, C and riboflavin. Perilla seed oil has anti-inflammatory properties, and perilla leaf components are under preliminary research for potential anti-inflammatory properties. Perilla oil, with one of the highest proportion of omega-3 fatty acids, is beneficial to human health and in prevention of various diseases like cardiovascular disorders, cancer, inflammatory and rheumatoid arthritis, and others.
As far as the specific leaf in this offering on the Yunomi website I found out that it comes from the Chasandai Tea Factory.
Onto the actual herbal tea bag itself! We’re talking about Shimane-grown Organic Egoma Herbal Tea Bags from Chasandai Tea Factory in the Shimane Prefecture region. It’s classified as a Finishing Factory, was established in 1911, has 33 employees, and the CEO is Akemi Miyo.
One of the reasons it took me a while before blogging about this is because of the aroma. To be honest, I really wasn’t digging it. Dry – it smelled a little like glue…glue and herbs, basically. I was a little afraid that the herbal flavor was going to be so intense I would have a hard time with it but I was WRONG! The flavor was fairly mellow. Sure it was an herbal but it was a nice herbal. A comforting herbal tisane…that I didn’t have a problem at all sipping on. It was even a little sweet, a little savory, and possible even a little croissant-like. Those were my first impressions, too, and the more I sipped on it the more I enjoyed it.
This is a classic case of NOT pre-judging it purely based on aroma. Shame on me, eh!? I should have known better because I hate the smell of Valerian Root but LOVE the benefits. I think I will throw this herb and tisane offering in that category of ‘things I need to add into rotation but might need to plug my nose while steeping’.
I’m looking forward to more herbals like this. I might make it a personal goal to find other new-to-me-herbals to blog about here at SororiTea Sisters.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Herbal
Where to Buy: Yunomi
Description
- Name: Shimane-grown Organic Egoma Herbal Tea Bags
- Net weight: 12g (2g x 6bags)
- Ingredients: Shimane-grown Organic Egoma leaf
- Supplier: Chasandai Tea Factory
- Location: Shimane Prefecture
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!